Up until September of 2008, the Italian government had outlawed all online gaming by its citizens. Since the lift of this ban, Italian online poker players have enjoyed a burst in popularity of online poker sites, adding millions of dollars in revenues to the country. Countless online poker sites have sprung up in Italy since then, and these sites offer a wide variety of funding and deposit options for online poker players.

In order to find the site and the funding option that will work best for you, it is vital that you weigh all possible methods, and then choose the one that will be the most cost-effective and efficient for your particular situation.

Italy Real Money Poker Sites

One of the most popular sites for online poker in Italy is the Italian local version of PokerStars.com. PokerStars.com is one of the most popular worldwide poker sites, and its additional of an Italian version has been enjoyed by thousands of people across the country. Below are a few of the deposit options offered by the Italian version of PokerStars.com, which are similar to the deposit options offered by most of the Italian online poker sites.

Italy Poker Deposit

ClickandBuy is an e-wallet service that allows users to make secure online deposits from the third party account to an online poker site. ClickandBuy currently accepts deposits from Visa and MasterCard, in addition online debit card services and online money transfer services. Once you have funded your ClickandBuy account, you will be able to instantly transfer funds to your favorite online poker site. Most Italian online poker sites accept the service, although you will have to check each site as availability and fees vary by provider.

Of course, most online poker sites do accept both Visa and MasterCard, although cashouts are currently not allowed for MasterCard users. However, many banks and individual credit card companies will not permit customers to make deposits from their credit card to an online gambling Web site. If your bank or credit card company does not allow deposits to online sites, your deposit will be instantly rejected. If this occurs, you will need to look to other services such as the third party payment systems in order to use your Visa or MasterCard to fund your online poker account.

The Local Bank Transfer system is also available for online poker players in Italy. The system allows customer to make fund transfers in the local currency to most online poker accounts. Most banks will allow you to make these transfers by internet, phone, or in person, making the system suitable to just about anyone with a local bank account. Local Bank Transfers generally have a minimum deposit of $10, and can take up to about two weeks to complete processing. Players seeking an instant transfer system will have to search for a different option.

Neteller is a very popular third-party payment system accepted by almost all online poker sites in Italy. By using a Neteller account, players have the option to fund their account using their bank or credit card, and then use the Neteller account to make purchases and deposits online. Neteller is a favorite among online poker players because it allows for instant transfers and deposits to online poker sites without having to provide any private account numbers or credit card information. This is especially useful for players who are wary about the security of online gaming Web sites to offer an extra level of protection.